The Grateful Dead - Don't Ease Me In - Non-Album Cover Versions (1965-1966)

I just posted an album of the Grateful Dead's original songs from 1965 and 1966. But during that time period, the Dead were much more of a covers band. So I have two albums to post of the best cover songs from that time. There are so many that both albums are nearly an hour long, and there are many songs I didn't include. This is the first of the two.

In 1965 and 1966, rock and roll was very di
fferent from how it would be once the psychedelic era peaked in 1967. People came to concerts mostly to dance. That was true even for the Dead, despite the fact that their occasional famous "Acid Test" performances began in early 1966. So the band's set list had more short, lively songs and fewer long jammy ones. Also, the band was much more steeped in rhythm and blues. That was the forte of Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan, so he dominated the band in a way he never did again. Probably a majority of the songs the band played were sung by him.

That said, the band was quite consistent throughout its career. From the very beginning, Jerry Garcia's lead guitar playing was a big draw, and he sang a lot of songs as well. Bob Weir also had a prominent singing role right from the start.

Some of these songs come from studio sources, but more of them are from live sources. However, I've removed the crowd noise to make it a consistent listen. The sound quality is surprisingly good for time, probably because key people like Owsley Stanley began recording soundboards of their concerts from early 1966.

As I mentioned, I have so much material of their cover songs that I've made two albums. I've put them in chronological order, so this covers late 1965 to early 1966.

By the way, I couldn't think of a really good album title. I went with "Don't Ease Me In" because that was the A-side of the band's only single in 1966 (and their only official release in this time period).

01 Early Morning Rain (Grateful Dead)
02 I Know You Rider (Grateful Dead)
03 Hey Little One (Grateful Dead)
04 On the Road Again (Grateful Dead)
05 Promised Land (Grateful Dead)
06 Empty Heart (Grateful Dead)
07 Don't Ease Me In (Grateful Dead)
08 Stealin' (Grateful Dead)
09 Gangster of Love (Grateful Dead)
10 Don't Mess Up a Good Thing (Grateful Dead)
11 Dancing in the Street (Grateful Dead)
12 Hi-Heel Sneakers (Grateful Dead)
13 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Grateful Dead)
14 Next Time You See Me (Grateful Dead)

https://www.upload.ee/files/15118597/TGratefulD_1965-1966_DontEseM_In_atse.zip.html

Thanks to Peter from the Albums I Wish Existed blog for the cover art.